Orthodox Christians flocked to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday to celebrate the Holy Fire ceremony, gathering in far greater numbers than last year because coronavirus restrictions have eased.This season’s religious holidays in the Holy Land, home to religious sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, have been overshadowed by tragedy, as Israel mourns the death of 45 Jewish worshippers killed in a stampede overnight between Thursday and Friday at a religious festival in the north of the country. Children were among the casualties. read more”I listened to the radio, when the parents were talking, I was crying because I have a small son. I cried for the kids,” said Zaira Didmanidze, 40, one of the 2,500 people who attended the Holy Fire ceremony.The ceremony, symbolizing Jesus’s resurrection, is one of the most colorful spectacles of the Orthodox Easter season, usually attended by many pilgrims.With Jerusalem under lockdown last year’s Holy Fire ceremony was held in the near-empty church that is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.”Last year it was a sad year,” said Rosaline Manees, a pilgrim from Jaffa. “This year is better, though not like other years as pilgrims from all over the world are not visiting the country. Today it is only us who live in the country. But, sure, better than last year.”Israel’s swift vaccination drive has largely beaten back the pandemic in the past few months, allowing for restrictions on gatherings to be greatly eased as officials plan a resumption of international tourism in the coming months.The Holy Fire ceremony typically draws tens of thousands of worshippers to an imposing grey edicule in the Holy Sepulchre that is believed to contain the tomb where Jesus lay 2,000 years ago.Sunbeams that pierce through a skylight in the church’s dome are believed by worshippers to ignite a flame deep inside the crypt, a mysterious act considered a Holy Saturday miracle each year before Orthodox Easter Sunday.Jerusalem’s Greek Orthodox Patriarch then emerges from the crypt where Christians believe Jesus was buried, lights a candle with the Holy Fire and disperses it to the faithful.
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Month: May 2021
India’s daily COVID count of new cases has, for the first time, surpassed the 400,000 mark. The new infections count for the previous 24-hour period was a record 401,993 cases, India’s health ministry said Saturday. Public health officials believe the actual count may be at least five times higher.
“This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society,” top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Indian Express newspaper. “If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble.”
Fauci recommended a lockdown for India. “Literally, lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country … But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak.”
Eighteen people were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.
Authorities say 30 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, officials said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter that he was “Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire” at the hospital. “Condolences to the bereaved families,” he added.Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) A charred hospital bed is seen at a ward of the Welfare Hospital after a fire broke out overnight, in Bharuch, some 190 kms from Ahmedabad, India, May 1, 2021.India expanded its vaccine eligibility Saturday to anyone 18 and older, but many locations are saying that they just do not have any vaccines.
Only 2% of India’s 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated.
In contrast, the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.
Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.
Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.
The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.
Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.”
She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”
Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment, and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”
India has 19,164,969 coronavirus infections, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Saturday. The U.S. is the only place that has more infections than India with more than 32 million cases, according to Hopkins. There are more than 151 million global infections.
In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.
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Gathered in a practice room, five generously proportioned young men in baggy black sweaters are patting their bellies and waggling their arms. Bearded with double chins, they shout “Hoo-Ha!” in time to upbeat African drums.The choreography is for the new song Good Belly, by Produce Pandas. DING, Cass, Husky, Otter and Mr. 17 weigh an average of 100 kilograms and proudly call themselves “the first plus-sized boy band in China.”That is a radical departure from the industry standard seen in South Korean super groups such as BTS, whose lanky young members are sometimes referred to in China as “little fresh meat.”Yet, it seems to be working for Produce Pandas, who rose to fame after making it about halfway through Youth with You, an idol talent competition hosted by iQiyi, one of the largest video platforms in China.On the show, mentors and audience voters pick nine finalists, either individuals or group members, to come together to form a new band.“The five of us may not have the standard look and shape of a boy band but we hope to use the term ‘plus-sized band’ to break the aesthetic stereotypes,” Cass said in an interview.The five, two of whom formerly sang in bars, are also unusual for their relatively advanced ages in an industry that worships youth and stamina. Most of their fellow contestants on Youth with You began South Korean-style training while in their teens.While Produce Pandas excited audiences and sparked discussion about how a pop idol should look, some taunting also appeared online.Users of China’s Weibo microblog seized on the Chinese word for panda, a homonym of which appears in the Chinese name for the Japanese horror movie Ring, suggesting that watching them dance was similarly frightening.Mr. 17, the band’s main dancer, was the oldest contestant in the competition at age 31. He had been discovered on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, where he posted clips of himself dancing in pajamas or while holding a bowl of rice.Otter, a member of the Chinese music group Produce Pandas, sings during rehearsals in Beijing, April 15, 2021.He nicknamed himself “17” after his favorite age. The former petroleum company worker said he does not feel old, but admits that after rehearsals, “I felt my energy was emptied.”The five were solicited from more than 300 hopefuls by Beijing-based DMDF Entertainment, which wanted to build a band that would be rotund and approachable as well as inspiring.Husky, who worked in information technology, thought he would fit in perfectly because he has been chubby since primary school and has failed repeatedly to lose weight.“I often work out one day then take a rest for the next three days, so the result is clear that I gained some weight instead,” he said. The point is “stay in shape (and) not to lose weight, but to lose fat.”Echoing Husky, Cass said the upside to being on such a team is that they do not need to abstain when it comes to food.“We don’t mind eating like a horse. I feel sorry for the ‘little fresh meat’ bands whose members must follow a diet to stay slim. I feel great whenever they look on enviously as we dig in!”Team leader DING quit plus-sized modeling when he heard about auditioning for an “XXL” boy band, saying, “I feel this is probably the closest I can get to being on a magazine cover.”The five are now working on a new album, with songs including Pursue Your Dreams.“Saddle up on the horse and pursue your dreams. Don’t idle your time away,” the lyrics go.Vocalist Otter, who has idolized the South Korean boy band Super Junior since he was 7, never thought he could be in a band that lives and performs together, and more importantly, encourages ordinary folk.“I hope people will feel encouraged when watching our performance,” he said. They can think, “If Produce Pandas can make a breakthrough and perform on a bigger stage, then why can’t I?”
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At least 12 patients were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.Authorities say 50 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, according to officials.Meanwhile the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.”That’s a hundred million Americans with a sense of relief and peace of mind, knowing that after a long and hard year, they’re protected from the virus,” Zients said.Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.The situation in the U.S. stands in stark contrast to India, where the coronavirus is raging out of control. According to India’s health ministry, only 2% of the country’s population was fully vaccinated as of Thursday. On Friday, the health ministry reported 386,452 new infections.The official count of new cases has exceeded 300,000 for nine consecutive days. Indian media reports say some public health experts think the tally of new infections may be at least five times higher.Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.” She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”Indian public health experts have blamed the spread on more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s European regional director, warned Thursday that “it is very important to realize that the situation in India can happen anywhere … when personal protection measures are being relaxed, when there are mass gatherings, when there are more contagious variants, and the vaccination coverage is still low. This can basically create a perfect storm in any country.”Only the U.S. has more COVID cases than India. The U.S. has more than 32 million infections, while India has 18.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.More than a quarter of British health care workers say they are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for their reluctance included several conspiracy theories and the lack of people of color in vaccine trials.Vaccine maker Pfizer has begun exporting doses manufactured at one of its U.S. plants, according to a report from Reuters. The report said the vaccines were sent to Mexico.Meanwhile, the head of Australia’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday there is no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for the deaths of two people shortly after their inoculations.In New South Wales state in southeast Australia, two men, including one in his 70s, died within days after receiving the vaccine.The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, with many nations suspending its use after reports first surfaced of rare blood clots following inoculation that resulted in a handful of deaths.
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